Product Details

• Actors: James Belushi, Sheryl Lee, Kyle Chandler, Frank John Hughes, Ned Bellamy
• Directors: David L. Corley
• Writers: David L. Corley
• Producers: Amy Krell, David Bixler, John Glasser, Jon Kramer, Kelli Konop
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: York Home Video
• VHS Release Date: April 17, 2001
• Run Time: 99 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000035P4U
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #244,321 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Four angels are represented on tapestry design against beige background. Machine wash/dry.Matches Angel of the Seasons Pillow.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny AND intelligent thriller with lots of twists, July 7, 2000

By 

Jim Pellmann (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Angel's Dance (DVD)

[A slightly modified version of this review was originally posted to the alt.tv.twin-peaks newsgroup in Feb '99 because Sheryl Lee starred as the murdered prom queen Laura Palmer in the "Twin Peaks" TV series and prequel movie.]

This comedy-thriller stars Sheryl Lee, Jim Belushi, and Kyle Chandler (from the TV show "Inside Edition").

It is an absolutely wonderful film that showcases Sheryl's acting in a way that none of her films has since "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me." Her character, Angel, goes through a series of transformations that is astonishing, hilarious, and touching. If the film had gotten a major theatrical release, it could have been the "breakthrough" role that would have made a lot of critics and moviegoers recognize her real talent.

It is also that rare thing: a funny *and* intelligent thriller that not only shatters movie cliches, but keeps the viewer engaged for the entire length of the movie.

School for Assassins

The story opens on the streets of Chicago, where a businessman is being stalked by a mob hitman. Just as he is about to strike, the hitman is run over by a truck! We learn that the businessman is the former accountant for the mob boss, Uncle Vinny (Jon Polito of "Miller's Crossing"), and he is entering the witness protection program in order to testify against Vinny.

A new hitman is needed pronto, and Tony Greco (Kyle Chandler), who once took a bullet to protect another mobster, is elected. Tony is sent to California to train with Stevie Rosellini (Jim Belushi), the most-feared assassin in the country. But Stevie turns out to be a laid-back California dude who lives on the beach and quotes Nietzche, so there is plenty of humor involving the clash between their personal styles and values.

After training Tony for a while, Stevie reveals the final test Tony must pass before he can return to Chicago--killing an innocent victim selected at random from the phone book. The victim selected is Angel Chaste (Sheryl Lee), who turns out to be a mortician at a funeral parlor.

As Stevie and Tony start tailing Angel, they learn that her life is a bit more complicated that it appears. When Angel discovers what is going on, she uses her intelligence and wit and turns into a far more formidable target than the assassins ever encountered. I won't reveal any more of the plot, as there are several delicious surprises and twists, and an ending that had the audience cheering when I first saw it at as the opening night film for the '99 Cinequest Film Festival.

Surprising Production Qualities

In addition to Sheryl Lee's superb performance, Jim Belushi is dead-on in his portrayal of Stevie. In a question and answer session after the screening, the writer/director David Corley revealed that Belushi was his first choice for the part, and how he fought with the producers to get Sheryl Lee for Angel after seeing her performance in "Backbeat."

Corley also told of the five-year struggle to get funding for the film, and the reluctance of the Hollywood studios to finance a film with such a strong and quirky female lead character. This time allowed him to hone and perfect the script, however, and the film is perfectly paced for its 102 minutes. The musical score and cinematography are also impressive for a first feature effort. Corley's prior experience was producing industrial films for Silicon Valley companies and running a video rental store. One can only imagine that he watched a *lot* of videos to come up with a script this original!

Unfortunately, the film did not acquire a US theatrical distributor, was bought by HBO, aired a few times on cable with minimal promotion, and was then released to video.

Don't miss this "hidden treasure"!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Karate?, July 3, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Angel's Dance [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I started watching this movie by accident. I was sitting with two friends when we watched the scene with the bowling pins and the handgun. My friend fell out of his chair and I could not speak for several minutes. We had never seen the violence of a repressed bowler rendered in such elegant detail. After this, the movie transitions from scene to scene with an almost Zen-like abandon. Violence melts into lovemaking; libraries turn into war zones. Best of all, Belushi inhabits his character like a genie in a lamp. Somehow he finds a way to make the audience feel as though he is always just about to break into a flurry of karate moves. I'm not going to tell you if he ever unleashes his karate, but I will say that he was born to play this role.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dance of the hit-persons, February 13, 2002

By 

Jan Mattson (Västerås, Sweden) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Angel's Dance [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The fascinating interaction of a master hit-gentleman and an unsuccessful apprentice hit-man and a self-taught very talented hit-lady. Well worth viewng more than once!